Scholarships will be awarded on a competitive basis and applicants will need to submit a 500 word

essay on how they will use the award they gain from Coventry University to contribute to the
Faculty during their time at Coventry University and the field of health and life sciences after they
graduate.
Have you tried teaching MS-Word to a blind girl? It is certainly one of the most formidable
challenges I encountered in my life, and I still havent been able to figure it out completely. Imagine
a girl blind by birth who has no idea what computers are, how they look like or what MS-Word is.
I had to explain computers to her and paint a picture of MS-Word to her. I tried the Windows
Narrator and I tried making her touch the keyboard and the computer screen. It wasnt enough. I
tried explaining everything on the screen to her. It wasnt enough.
I also helped a group of teenagers mostly older than myself, with a range of physical and learning
disabilities, to do basic cookery. I helped physically disabled children with physical education lessons,
assisted autistic children in art classes, and aided students with severe epilepsy in basic
mathematics.
Even after working for hours with them, I still felt that I wasnt able to teach them right. I realized,
this was not exactly a technological problem. There was the Braille Script, and the Narrator, and
several other tools and resources, but none of them carried any use without the right trainer.
And the right trainer needed to know more than just technology or tools, she needed to understand
how epilepsy impacted math learning skills, and how to work around it. She needed to understand
how that blind girl thought, so she could explain MS-Word to her. She needed the knowledge of
psychology.
I had studied basic psychology during my school, focussing primarily on comparative psychology.
However, the above experience at a local Christian orphanage deeply impacted me and how I
perceived the subject. Therefore, I applied to University of Coventry so I could learn psychology and
try to solve this problem with the knowledge provided by a world class curriculum and a world class
faculty.
I observed that Child Development and Education is one of the three key areas of psychology that
the Universitys psychology course focuses on. During my time in the University, I would like to learn
about this field in detail, and evaluate different learning techniques and their effectiveness. I am
particularly attracted towards devising better teaching techniques, especially for primary school
children and for children with special abilities.
I would like to contribute to the research projects undertaken by the Faculty of Psychology and assist
the researchers by whatever means possible. I was excited when I read about projects like The
Development of Irregular Word Reading and Motivational Effects on Attention. Being present at
the site and; if given an opportunity, working with researchers on these studies is something I am
really looking forward to, even if I have to spend additional hours after my regular classes.
I am sure cultural biases; in general and towards education, also form a core part of these studies.
The Indian primary education system; due to its sheer numbers, is one of the biggest and,
unfortunately, one of the less efficient educational systems in the world. A number of national and
international institutions are working to fix this system. I think in todays time, no research in
education can be called truly valid if it ignores India. As a recent high-school graduate from that very
system, I can provide exceptional insights and crucial networks to the Indian educational system.
I would strive for academic excellence in the University and contribute to the new ideas. I would also
love to volunteer for sports for the University.
Post my graduation, I would like to continue my work in psychology; focussing on learning
techniques. I would aim to bring my learnings back home to India and apply them here. My long
term goal is to contribute to the Indian school education system.
The place where I come from still believes in learning by cramming, and teaching every kid the same
subjects in the same old way. I know that choosing wrong subjects or having an ineffective teacher is
one of the major problem the Indian system faces. I want to impact this.
Additionally, I want to change the way Indian parents perceive education. Most of the Indian parents
force their kids to get unexceptionally high scores and seek admission to a reputed Engineering or a
Medical College. The pressure is so much that every year, in my city alone, dozens of school children
commit suicide. I have personally heard about so many dreadful stories where the kids chose to end
their lives just because they could not meet their parents unrealistic and unjustified expectations.
Those who did not choose this harsh step, find refuge in smoking and drug abuse.
I would implement my learnings in Psychology, and counsel parents to identify the real talent of
their kids and not to measure success in one way only. If I succeed in influencing even a couple of
parents and save the lives of their kids, I think that would be my greatest achievement, and one of
the greatest achievement of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences as well.
There was a reason I specifically chose not to study psychology from India. Here, it is considered as a
feminine, soft subject and most of the colleges do not provide ample knowledge. Coventry
University seems to be the only place to offer this degree program with an immaculate combination
of course modules directly suited to my interest. Thats why I chose University of Coventry.
However, I am also aware that my choice places too great a financial burden on my parents. I am
proud of my parents and whatever they have given me, and I want to justify their trust in me. I want
to achieve my goals, succeed in my life, and impact the lives of others. You; the Faculty, with this
scholarship, can help me achieve these goals.
I assure you that given a chance I will prove to be an asset. I am keenly looking forward to your kind
patronage soon.